Controlling device for phonographs.



C. L. HIBBARD. CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1908.

Patented Sept. 13,1910.

'readily and positivel UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. HIBBARCD, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORA'IION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. HIBBARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Gook,'State of Illinois, have invented certain new'- and useful Improvements in Controlling Devices for Phonographs, of which the followingis a description.

My invention relates to devices adapted to be applied .to phonographs or other talking machines for the purpose of controlling the startin and stopping of the rotating parts thereof, such as themandrel and feed screw, and has been designed more particularly ,for phonographs of the type shown in Patent No. 742,485, granted October 18th, 1904,

-to Weber and Hibbard, wherein the starting and stopping is accomplished by an operating rod which moves a clutch member into engagement with a constantly driven cooperating clutch member when it is desired to drive the parts referred to, and my in ,vention has for its object the provision of a power transmitting connection extending between the phonograph and a foot lever or other operating member, whereby the operating member may be secured in any place which best suits the convenience of the person using the phonograph, for instance, the

phonograph may be carried by a bracket screwed to the'desk, and one end of the power I transmitting connection applied thereto while the opposite end which carries the operating membermay rest freely onthe floor ormay' be secured thereto or to the desk. The device will also be neat in appearance; the moving parts will be protected, will be few in number, will operate and will be unlikely to break or become eranged for an indefinite period of time.

With these ends in view my invention consists of the features hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings of which-- Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section, showing an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention and applied to a phonograph of the type above specified, the sectional plane being designated by the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2-is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals in the respective views.

In the drawing, 1 is a portion of the cabinet which supports the top plate 2 of the phonograph, and the latter carries a rock shaft 3 having a crank 4, to which is connected the rod 5 for o crating the clutch member which provides tor the star-tin or stopping of the feed screw and mandre as set forth in Patent No. 772,485, although if desired said rod may obviousl be connected to other suitable starting an stopping devices.

Secured totherock shaft 3 is a lever 6 which is normally held in the osition shown by a'sp'iral spring 7 connect at one end to the lever 6 and at the other end to a hook. 8 carried by the top late 2. A flexible tension member 9 s'uc as a chain or wire is connected to the free end of the lever 6 by a 'set 'screw' 10 and passes thence downward through along flexible casing 11, one end of which ispreferably secured to the cabinet 1 as shown and the other endsecured to the support or body 12 which carries the o crating lever 13 to which the tension memlier is connected. The chain 9 and tube 11 form a flexible power transmitting device between the said levers 6 and 13. Thecasing 11 is preferably composed of well known flexible but longitudinally rigid metal tubing one end of which is soldered to abra'cket14; having 2. lug or lugs 15 through which the securing screw 16 passes, and an aperture 16 through which the chain 9 passes.

The lever support 12 comprises a hollow member 18 having a boss 19 to which the lower end of the tube 11 is soldered and through whose aperture 20 the chain 9 passes, and a base plate 21 secured to the member18'by screws '22. The base 21 is provided with lateral extensionslor flanges 23 which are apertured for holding screws 24 by which the same may be secured to the floor, desk or other support. By making the support 12 oflsuflicient weight it may rest upon the floor Without being secured thereto. The hollow member 18 is provided with a pivot pin 25 upon which the lever 13 is pivoted and normally held in the position practically eliminated. .The lever 13 is (proshown by a spring 26 coiled around the said pinand pressing against the said lever and the member 18 respectively. The free end of the lever 13 is formed with an eye 27 to which the end of the chain '9 is connected, the said chain passing over a roller 28 journaled on a pin 29 carried by the member 18. Between the roller 28 and aperture 20 is a bushing 30 of soft metal such as lead or solder, through which the chain 9 passes, the interior of said bushing being rounded as shown, wherebywear upon the chain is vided with a pair of laterally exten mg arms 31 which pass through openings 32 in the walls of the member 18, and the'ends of the arms 31 are enlarged to form disks 33 the upper surfaces of which are roughened as shown, whereby the lever 13 may be readily operated from either side of the device by the foot. I

In operating the device the 0 erator merely presses with the foot, or han if desired, .upon either one of the disks 33, thereby movlng the lever 13 downward. and exerting tension upon the tension member 9; this member readily moves with respect to the flexible tube 11 and draws down the lever 6 thereby operating the rod 5 and starting the instrument. When it is desired to stop the same, the operator releases the lever 13 and the springs 7 and 26 restore the parts to their original positions.

Obviously the flexible tension member 9 may be replaced if desired by a flexible torsion member, such as a flexible shaft applied to the levers 6 and 13 respectively in such away as to transmit the motion of the lever 13 to the lever 6.-

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. As a new article of manufacture, the combination with a tension member, of the flexible guide 11- and body 12 havinga soft metal bushing 80 through which the tension member passes, substantially as set forth. I

2. As a new article of manufacture, the combination of the flexible guide 11, hollow body 12, and lever 13 pivoted within said body and having a pair of arms 31 extending laterally through opposite walls of said body, substantially as set forth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, the combination of a flexible guide, a hollow body to which 'said guide is connected-,a lever pivoted within said body to oscillate in a vertical plane, and a tension member passing through said guide and connected to said lever, said lever having an annular extension passing laterally through an opening in the wall of said body and adapted to be operated by foot pressure, substantially as set .forth.

1. In a device of the character" described,

the combination of a flexible tension member,-a spring for normally exerting tension upon one end thereof, a flexible guide, a body connected to oneend of said guide, a vertically movable lever pivoted to said body and connected to one end of said tension member and a spring a plied to said lever, said body being of su lcient weight and so shaped as to permit the lever to operate the tension member when the body rests upon the floor without-being secured thereto, substantially as set forth.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a member to be operated, of means for operating the same from a distance, comprising a body, a movable operating member pivoted thereto, a long, flexible, mechanically operating, power transmitting connection between the two members capable of assuming and operating in practically any position of curvature without intermediate support, said body being of suflicient weight and so shaped as to permit, the operating member to be moved so as to operate the power transmitting connection when the body rests upon the floor without being secured thereto whereby theoperatingmember maybe located at any desired point within the range of the said power transmitting connection, substantially as set forth.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a member to be operated, of means for operating the same from a distance, comprising a body, a movable operating member pivoted thereto, a long, flexible, mechanically operating, power transmitting connection between the two members, said connection consisting of a flexible tube or casing and a flexible menu-- ber within said casing and connected at opposite ends to said members, said body being of sufiicient weight and so shaped as to permit the operating member to be moved when the body rests upon the floor without being secured thereto whereby the-operating member may be located at any desired point within the range of the said power transmitting connection, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 29th day of March, 1906.

CHARLES L. HIBBARD. Witnesses:

Jos. H. Mannrrr, L. F. MoCREA. 

